Let’s Take A Road Trip And Head To Sour This Weekend
It seems like winter has been going on forever now, but luckily there is a gem in Lebanon’s south that is called Sour (Tyr), which is home to a clear blue ocean, a whole load of hospitality, and a beautiful amount of history. Sour has become a favourite for both locals, looking to escape Beirut’s noise and traffic, and for tourists, looking to discover more about this beautiful piece of land we call home.
We have put together a step by step guide on taking a road trip to Sour to save you the effort of doing so!
Please note that nothing in this post is sponsored. This is a real trip we took that we enjoyed so much that we wanted to share it with you!
Recommended Time to Leave Beirut: 8.30/9am – leaving early means avoiding hours of traffic, and arriving to Sour in around 1 hour and 30 mins.
First Stop – The Beach
Warning: you need superhuman strength to fight the urges of stripping off and running naked into the clear blue ocean (please don’t, you’ll probably get arrested, and get seriously ill).
Second Stop – Christian Town
You will come across the most picturesque and colourful set of houses scattered around the tiny street named 7aret el masi7iyye. In summer time, it’s hard to get around since Tyr attracts so many tourists, but if you’re smart enough to go before this peak period you will be able to enjoy its magic in peace and be in awe at how a place can be so beautiful.
If you’re lucky, you’ll see these overly Instagrammed flower pots (myself included). That’s Mahmoud by the way, the godfather of Tyr, and the famous bartender at the Dar Alma hotel who is guaranteed to make you laugh, and very, very drunk (see below).
Dar Alma has a small restaurant overlooking the ocean, and is the perfect place to stop by in the morning to have a quick bite, or some coffee. Mahmoud, however, wouldn’t let us have the civilised option, and a few minutes later we were all downing blue ginger/rum shots followed by whiskey. Not that we’re complaining!
Third Stop – Old Souk
Upon reaching the end of the Christian neighbourhood, you will find yourself at the port and faced with fisherman fixing their nets, and a ton of fishing boats perched on the bright blue water.
Walk a little further and you’ll find yourself in the old souk. Our favourite! At the beginning, you’ll find a small sandwich shop called “Mahfouz”, serving the most delicious Lebanese sandwiches at a very affordable price indeed – around 2,000 ll. each (I ate three – they really were that good).
You’ll then find the fish market, and walk through and find yourself faced with natural oils, tea, nuts, dried fruits, more fish, some questionable clothes, and old artefacts. Depending on who you’re with, this may be a pleasant 10 minute walk, or a two hour shopping spree.
Fourth Stop – Lunch!
A little drive away is another ocean shore, with a restaurant named Safa Assaf located upon it. This is our lunchtime recommendation, and makes for a magnificent after-lunch relaxation by the beach.
Choose where you’d like to sit and dine on the shore, and your table and chairs will be brought to you. Of course, their menu is full of our ocean friends, in addition to delicious fattouch and sides with alcohol to choose from. When it all seems too good to be true, it gets better – it’s very reasonably priced. Our bill worked out at around 40,000 a person, with alcohol and tea/coffee to top it all off!
Leaving time: We left Tyr at around 5 and unsurprisingly, got stuck in hours of traffic both in Saida and in Beirut. We recommend leaving earlier, around the 3.30/4pm mark to skip all this.
If you do make it to sunset, you’ll have this incredible view to make you feel better about the traffic you’re about to dive into.
